NONFICTION TEXT
UNIT:
PATHS OF THE
PEOPLE
A look at the Wisconsin Ojibwe Indian Experience
WORDS YOU’LL NEED TO KNOW TO
GET STARTED…..
•Primary source document
•Secondary source document
•Treaty
•Negotiation
•Consensus
•Cession
•Reservation
•Removal
•Assimilation
•Allotment
WHO ARE THE OJIBWE INDIANS?
•Other names: Anishinabe, Saulteur, Chippewa
•Name means “to roast until puckered”—it refers to their style of
moccasins. This name was given to them by their enemies, the
Eastern Dakota (Sioux)
•Originated in the Gulf of St. Lawrence region; migrated to Wisconsin
over a 500 year period
•Their lifestyle incorporated hunting and gathering, which required
them to move seasonally to find resources. They moved freely
throughout much of north central Wisconsin and parts of Michigan and
Minnesota
•After treaties with the United States government, Ojibwe Indians were
restricted to small areas of land called reservations
TWO QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER AS WE
WORK THROUGH THIS UNIT:
•What were the impacts of treaties on the Ojibwe people?
•In what way(s) do we see impacts of these treaties in Wisconsin
today?
As we read and discuss during this unit, think carefully about what
you are learning about Ojibwe history. Be prepared to share your
ideas—positive and negative—about the questions listed above.
PART 1:
THE TREATY PERIOD
Treaties of 1825, 1837, 1842, & 1854
TREATIES AT A GLANCE
1825— establishes boundaries among Indians
1837— “Pine Tree Treaty”
Government wants access to timber
1842— “Copper Treaty”
Government wants access to copper deposits near Lake Superior
Not a removal treaty
**Between 1842 & 1854: President Taylor’s Removal Order, Annuity
Payments in Sandy Lake, MN
1854— provides reservation lands in UP and Wisconsin
PART 2:
POST-TREATY
CONTROVERSY
In 1852, Chief Buffalo
led a small group of
Ojibwe Indians to
Washington. His goal
was to protest the
Removal Order of
President Zachary
Taylor. He was almost
100 years old at the
time.
He was able to get
President Millard
Fillmore to end the
Removal Order, and his
visit helped to secure
Wisconsin land for the
Ojibwe in 1854.
A section of the 1854
Treaty with the Chippewa.
This section, Article 2,
describes reservation lands
for the Ojibwe people.
PART 3:
SOLVING THE
“INDIAN PROBLEM”
“We can not afford to raise any more
Indians in this country.”
(Atkins, J.D.C., US Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 1887-88.)
After the Indians were provided reservation lands, much pressure
was put on the Ojibwe people to abandon their old ways. The
United States government attempted to assimilate the Ojibwe into
the “white man’s world.” Government methods included dividing
the reservation lands and allotting small sections to individual
members of the tribe. They hired farmers to work with the Ojibwe
in order to increase the number of farms on reservation lands.
Government officials also opened boarding schools for Ojibwe
children. The children were removed from their homes and
enrolled in schools that were often far away from their families.
Students at boarding schools were forbidden to
speak their native languages. In addition to learning
how to read and write, they received instruction in
skills that would help them be “successful” in the
white man’s world. These skills included farming
and carpentry for the boys and sewing and cooking
for the girls.
TOURISM— “PLAYING INDIAN”
By the 1920’s, improved transportation into
Wisconsin’s “north woods” allowed many
tourists from the south to visit northern
Wisconsin. This meant that many Ojibwe
people were able to find jobs in the tourism
industry.
Ojibwe men worked as hunting and fishing
guides and laborers at lakeside resorts. Ojibwe
women often sold craft items like beadwork,
birchbark baskets, moccasins, and
dreamcatchers. Women also worked as cooks
or laundresses in resorts.
Sometimes, the Ojibwe people would perform in
pageants and pow wows in order to entertain
tourists. The U.S. government didn’t especially
approve of this practice.
Now, consider again the guiding questions for this
unit…..
•What were the impacts of treaties on the Ojibwe people?
•In what way(s) do we see impacts of these treaties in Wisconsin today?
It’s time to share your ideas!!